[OPEN] how long is forever?

[atouts]

WHO: Childermass & anyone.
WHAT: Childermass returns from his unfortunate vacation in the Matrix.
WHERE: The carnival, Trailer #19, the cookhouse.
WHEN: End of D32, on into D33.
WARNINGS: Mentions of torture, will update if anything else comes up.

[ D32, by the tree phones; closed to the first person to find him ]

Why he'd been released after giving so little information, Childermass can't be sure.

He wondered if they had picked up anyone else, someone more likely to talk about the carnival than he was. Perhaps that had made it less useful to keep at him, when someone else was more chatty, although if that were the case, they sure didn't mind trying to keep on "convincing" him. After all that effort, just to have him wake up back in the zoo, intact again, for the most part (the memory of broken fingers still has him rubbing his knuckles, often and uncomfortably). Part of him — the sensible, forever cautious part — wanted to stay and find out, to know, but the rest of him was exhausted. Caution be damned, he needed to get out, so that was exactly what he did.

Funny how only a few days ago he was telling Mr. Strange how bizarre it was to already consider the carnival home, but stumbling to the nearest phone and finding himself back among the trees, with that mad circus up ahead, is a relief. Back at last, after nearly five days of missing, he'll let out a sigh and lean heavily against the same tree the phone is hooked up to.

Now here's a man who looks worse for wear, but at least he's still standing, right?

[Late D32-D33; open to all]

Afterwards, whatever it is that comes afterwards, Childermass will be wisely leaving his supervisor a note about taking a day off to rest — if that's no problem, of course — and then holing up in his trailer to, for the most part, sleep. It won't be very restful, though, so more often than not he'll be found up with tea, trying and failing to write for any real length of time, or spending an awful lot of time staring at ceiling from where he should, but isn't, sleeping.

Basically, trying to avoid everyone, but he'll probably answer the door if someone shows up, assuming they're polite about it at all. Considering the door isn't actually locked, the odds on that might be against him.

Or, failing all attempts to get some actual rest, on the day after his return, one might find him having, by some miracle, made his way to the cookhouse. If only for some coffee and to — again — get absolutely nowhere with writing in one of his various memo books.

Comments

[atouts]

"I think I'll be more than capable of dragging Strange away if it does come to that," Childermass will at least try to reassure Joker on that point. No real need to get more people involved, if something like that even becomes a problem. For the most part, it might just be funny.

Although the offer to use the trailer does get a curious look, a raised eyebrow. Why wouldn't he be using his own trailer that much lately...? Does the man not sleep? But he won't pry.

"Well, if you're sure about that, thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

And hope he never has to. He has no idea what he'd find in a trailer like Joker's, but considering the man's sense of style, well. It would probably be an awful lot of pink.

[pipers_son]

More like he hasn’t been sleeping much, coasting on more naps than anything, he has to admit. Then again, that’s what happens when you have a skeleton crew in half the carnival. It hadn’t been half this bad in the aftermath of a certain attack, but, then, they hadn’t been doing a whole lot of performing then, had they?

For now, however, he waggles his fingers in easy dismissal at the thanks. “Nothin’ ta thank me for. I’m yer stage manager- watchin’ after my lot, especially with the kind of things that can happen, is the least I can do.” Some of the other supervisors might not have this kind of view, with only Psi being as nosy as he is, but it’s how he thinks. To him, in some way, circuses will always mean family.

Best not to tell folks that, however, because they tend to get funny about it. Instead, he just says, “All ya would have ta do is let me know ahead of time. It can be a bit messy sometimes, and I wouldn’t want ya walking through anything.” His words are finished off with a chuckle.

[atouts]

Sleep is a thing people need, Joker. Come on now... Not that Childermass would have much room to chide him over that, even if he did know. It's not like he's catching up on any much needed sleep over here, either.

"Of course. Although, for some reason, I can't help but imagine it's full of fish bags and terrible shirts," Childermass says lightly enough. Sure, the previous situation was god awful, but he can still take the time to comment upon Joker's bad taste. "Still, I think I'd rather survive those given the choice between that or endless ravings."

[pipers_son]

“Hey now!” Joker’s snickering shows he’s, once again, not particularly offended. Childermass got fortunate that his boss is easy going and hard to really bother. “I’ll have ya know that I only have a couple of those left.” His fingers rap along the tabletop- a little sharply, but only because they’re wood instead of any meaning behind them. “Didn’t know how many folks we would end up recruitin’, so I thought better a little more than runnin’ out early.”

[atouts]

"If not those, then something equally ridiculous," he'll shoot back, but it's still in good humor. He's well aware Joker's the easy-going one, which is a nice change of pace as far as bosses went. "You seem the type."

[pipers_son]

“Well, you’ll have ta find out for yerself, won’t ya?” Joker’s grin is a little sly before he considers something. “Anyway, I’m a lot neater than ya might think. I used ta do a bit of butlerin’, when I wasn’t runnin’ a circus of my own back in England. Easier ta travel around a lot, too, when ya don’t have ta run around like a chicken without its head.” And it’s fine to admit that little bit about his history, he thinks. No one here would recognize Kelvin’s name if he said it, and he doesn’t to tell anymore than he cares to. All his secrets can remain as such.

[atouts]

Now that's unexpected. Of all the people he would have pegged to be in charge of someone's household-- well, no, that's insincere. Joker is a strange man, but he does manage one of the larger staffs in the carnival. Maybe it's less it being unexpected and more his own bias.

Still, he leans back and raises his eyebrows at the admission, somewhat surprised.

"Really? Then perhaps I am wrong, though I must admit it's hard to imagine you stuck wearing black."

[pipers_son]

That makes him laugh again, a little harder than before. “Ya wouldn’t be the first! Too somber a color for someone like me. If God wanted me ta not standout, he wouldn’t have given me red hair.” Joker winks playfully. It’s probably true, anyway. A redhead in East End? He was always going to stand out.

“I always feel like I’m goin’ ta a funeral when I dress in black, anyway… No offense, of course.”

[atouts]

Red hair and the personality to go with the attention, at that, but he won't say as much. It'd be just as easy to take that as a compliment (something Childermass rarely gives out, anyhow) as it would a curse.

"None taken," he'll assure Joker. He knows how stuffy he looks compared to everyone else here. That some of the more modern types around take him as being dressed "fancily" because of it is something he's found endlessly funny. "Considering the change in occupation, I should rethink the lack of color someday, but some habits may be too hard to break."

[pipers_son]

Honestly, Joker wouldn’t mind dressing ‘fancily’ on a more regular basis again. Don’t get him wrong, he loves all the other fashions he’s come to see in his travels while part of the carnival, but there’s something reassuring about his usual circus-wear: jackets and waistcoats and patterns marring the usual sensible English fashion just a little bit. But there’s only so much trouble he’s willing to go through on a regular basis, and he saves it for performance weeks.

Still, he grins for now. “Well, if yer ever interested, let me know. I’m sure we could add a little color, liven things up. I bet you'll look fetchin' in bright green.”

[atouts]

"Bright green?" Childermass can't even decide if Joker's being serious about that or still joking around. It could very well be both. "That... is certainly not a color I'd considered before. I am not sure bright anything would suit me all that well."

Baby steps, okay?

But it feels like the topic has gone off on a long, winding tangent. It isn't that Childermass minds that — quite the opposite — but he can't avoid the original reason Joker's visiting forever. He'll lean off of the table, sitting up straighter.

"Though it's only getting later, isn't it? If you're confident enough that I'm not about to keel over at any moment, I am sure you have better things to be getting to."

[pipers_son]

“Of course, of course~.” Chuckling, Joker gets up again. He’s done his duty, which is getting Childermass to imagine himself in an obnoxious color, so really what more can he ask for? That the man isn’t sleeping well is still a little worrying, but he’ll just have to hope it works out. Sometimes, the only cure is the passage of time.

“Keep in mind what I said about Koel or any of the other cooks helpin', alright?”